Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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325. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the way in which the €250 million referenced on page 93 of the National Development Plan 2018-2027 for the purposes of expanding childcare provision is expected to be allocated with reference to the years in which this funding will be made available. [40296/19]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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Childcare was identified as a strategic priority in the National Development Plan (2018-2027) and €250m in capital funding was secured for childcare under the plan. This represents the kind of large scale investment in the sector by the State that has not been undertaken since the earlier National Childcare Investment Programme that concluded in 2010.

This investment will be essential to respond to the increased capacity we expect as the new National Childcare Scheme is introduced. The NCS will radically change how this country supports the cost of early learning and care and school age childcare.

Research is on-going to determine areas of specific need that the NDP funding will address when it comes on stream in the coming years. The exact shape and priorities of this funding is currently being developed: more information will be made public on childcare plans under the NDP as it becomes available.